Before the world of ATVs, side-by-sides, quads, and whatever other names they go by, farmers, ranchers, hunters, and other folks who worked and played outside used little motorcycles like this 1971 Honda CT70 to get around. The seller has this one listed here on eBay in Independence, Missouri and the current bid price is $4,225 as I write this. There is no reserve.
Two new tires! Not that it needs them and not that anyone needs an incentive to buy a red-hot Honda CT70, these things are gold. This one is literally gold, the paint color is called Candy Gold. As one of the current “it” bikes, the CT70, or Trail 70, is very popular with collectors in today’s crazy market. The only things that aren’t popular seem to be the vehicles that I own for some reason.
A large step up from Honda’s Monkey Bikes, the Honda 50, the Honda Trail 70 came with an unusual frame design which became known by some as the dachshund, or DAX for short due to the long snout-looking body. They are really nice little bikes and little workhorses. They came in handy on farms and ranches for some chores and for me, this is just a fun-sized motorcycle. I’m a big fan of the Honda CB750 and Kawasaki Z1 900 and other big bikes (yes, even Harleys) but give me a small motorcycle every time.
The finish on this bike makes it look like it’s one that the seller just rolled off of the showroom floor in 1971. They say that they got it from the original owner and it’s all original and purrs like a kitten and even has a title which isn’t always the case with older motorcycles.
The black cylinder portion of the engine is just about the only thing I see in the photos that doesn’t look basically like new, at least from a few feet away. There are a few detailed photos showing some surface rust and a few paint chips underneath. A similar but green restored Honda CT70 sold on Hemmings Auctions for over $11,000 this past March. Yowsa. The engine is Honda’s 72 cc single with around six horsepower. Have any of you owned a Honda CT70?
I’m curious as to what the buyers paying that kind of money
for these do with them.Do they actually ride them,or just use them as
a decoration in their office/shop?
Why does that matter?
Steve S
Kennywood Park built a ride in Kiddieland with these. I sent the admin a photo of it a few months ago.
Once upon a time these were throwaway toys.
I was referring to how these buyers are running the
price of things like this through the roof,& just how many
would actually ride it.
A kid who’d really like one couldn’t afford one
nowadays,at least not with their own money.
Why does it matter?
Why is it that people sitting on the sidelines that have no connection to the sale feel they need to throw their two cents in as to how the new owner should use their purchase? If it really mattered, they would use their own money, or pool resources, hunt down these bikes, buy them get them running and sell them so some “deserving” kid for what they have into it. As I’ve said before, many, if not most of the vehicles on this site are being flipped. Many of these flippers have been featured multiple times, some dozens, they put in the effort most aren’t willing to. There are and always will be desirable entry level vehicles for those willing to put in the time and adjust their sites to what the market has to offer. Too many people on this site seem to have forgotten that.
Steve R
He’s just curious, Steve.
Chit, if I would have known ! I looked at one this past week . Asking price $3000 ! I’m not telling anyone where it’s at ! I’m sure it’s still there. They actually had a couple of them and a 50 cc.
Take a breath man, he just asked a question.
Sheesh…
I bought one used in ’70 with paper route money when I was 13. 3 spd auto. Got hassled by the popo a lot. 😊
Tom…..by the popo…..that,s funny.
We all say that all the time too.
Madea movies started that I think.
Glad there,s some levity here, some people get way too
intrusive in what other,s thoughts are.
We should all lighten up, and remember words can have jagged teeth just like a new saw. TOM, keep the popo …
comments coming they are good medicine.
I agree Robert, levity is good medicine. Anything that can make any of us crack a smile these days or bring a good memory to us is just what the doctor ordered. A little chuckle is well received & appreciated.
Seems we were treated unfairly ! I was hassled by the cops all the time to right along with all my neighbor friends that had similar mini bikes
Dad bought a CT-70 in 1970, for me and my stepbrothers. We rode the heck out of that little thing! In those days there were still open spaces to ride on, plus we took it camping with us (it just fit inside our truck camper) When I got my license in ’72, I rode it to school for a year. Finally sold it when I was 18, to buy my first car. Great memories.
Maybe I missed it in the listing, but the seller doesn’t say which transmission. I’d bet 3-speed automatic.
I know of a twin to this in Troy, Michigan, that is for sale.
Except I think it has half the miles.
Really? I live 5 minutes from Troy
Yep Really…
I used to work out of Troy, still do sometimes. Was at Rochester/Maple today.
They were all 3 speed no clutch.
I see a few of them running around. I just screwed up passing one by for $3k.
I really screwed up seen one about 10 years ago for $700 !
May have been year specific, but I know for certain that there were CT70’s made with a 4-speed and regular clutch, instead of the auto clutch like on the 3-speeds.
Negative
My ct 70 was a totally manual 4 speed with a regular clutch. No auto function.
The auto thing was cool due to being able to hold the shifter down and sidestep it. A different riding style that worked. Never was outran by an auto….
I had a ST90…kinda same thing w bigger wheels…ive never seen another one…
I had the CL90, same thing except with the pipe high on the side.
I bought a 79 trail 90 back in about 1980, I still have it. Its in nice shape and has about 3,000 miles on it. Enjoyed riding it more then my bigger bikes. I gave about $400 for it.
I owned that exact bike as a kid,same color & all.Had alot of fun with it.Then moved up to a Trail 90,big step up!I can”t believe their worth that kinda money!Bought mine used from a Honda dealer for $200 some 48 years ago.
dad bought us 3 kids a yamaha 80 from a dealer that did a ride program at the local high school infield ie: bent turn signals etc etc…..we stripped it of all the lights and had fun but an 13 and 11 and a 9 year old didnt want to share so much…good ole dad located a honda 50 to supplement the yamaha…that being said minibikes always bring back good memories.
I have seen these sell for up to $12k, and the 50’s are pricey too now.
Two of these, still in my family, both bought new, both with about 2K miles on them. Great memories. Both have been run and ridden within the past summer. At these prices, and, at my age, not sure we should be hanging on to them. Both of ours are the CT70H model, the H meaning that they are 4-speed with manual clutch.
Honda made a 4 speed manual for one year, I believe in 70 or 71.
They made the 4 speed with hand clutch for two years, I believe it was ‘70 and ‘71. I too would like to know what buyers do with these Steve. I like to imagine some are purchased by grandpas who want to give their grandkids a little taste of what they did for fun in their younger days. I don’t know though, but I do believe it’s okay to ask.
My Honda model ID book says H model was available 1970, 1971 and 1972.
Had one of those as a kid on the farm. I sure wish I had it now so I could sell it at todays prices!!
I had one of these little bikes when I was a kid growing up on the farm. I really wish I had it now so I could sell it to someone at todays prices!!
Kind of hard to believe an automatic has been bid up over 4 grand, there were MANY more of those imported. The H model 4 speed is much more rare and sought after. Back in ’71 my buddy’s dad bought him a new CT70 automatic. As with everything else they gave him, probably to get him out of the house, he destroyed it or….tried like heck to destroy it. We raced once while it was still nearly new. On a Sunday afternoon when the traffic on US18 was sparse w/me on a homemade 3.5 HP minibike at the high school kids illegal quarter mile. He took off with a big smile believing he’d win easily. My bike had a mower type throttle so set it high and slowly engage the belt w/my left foot. He was half way by the time I got going. 4 car lengths before the end I passed him like he was standing still, must’ve been doing 70 and still accelerating. He was mad as hell. I look back and cringe as my bike was very primitive w/cobbled together hard tail frame, wheel barrow wheels, stationary foot pegs (that’s another story!) but fancy sprung Cushman Eagle forks. No personal protection except work boots, pants and short sleeve shirt. The brake was a steel ‘flap’ that pressed on the rear tire and barely worked. His dad rented their farm from my cousin for 20 years and after they moved to town in ’89 I moved to that farm to raise hogs. Guess what I discovered in the basement? Yep, his beat to death blue Trail 70. I’ve now own that farm since ’05 and it’s become a motorcycle salvage as you can’t raise livestock once you feel sorry for them. The pigs 6 month lifespan was too much to bear. That crude minibike began my love affair with ‘cycles. I have only a handful of salvage bikes now, about 700, all Japanese 1970’s to mid 1980’s plus some oddball project scooters: running ’49 Cushman, ’47 American Moto-Scoot, ’52 Wards Pony, ’59 Silver Pigeon and a ’44 Safticycle. My personal riders are mostly RD Yamaha’s.
Had one as my first vehicle in 1974. Mine was exactly like the one shown. I loved it and should have never got rid of it. I still have the owners manual and a model of it. I remember getting about $150 way back then when I sold it and got a 1968 Impala for and extra $50. If I had the spare $4000, I would buy and use!
I have a green 71 CT 70H bought used in like new condition for $275 in 1972. Had a great time with it. Trouble free. Stopped riding it after 2 or 3 years when I got a 125 Yamaha(bigger, faster).
My Dad drained the gas and removed the battery, and it spent the next 46 years in the basement. I just brought it up to my garage two weeks ago. Still looks great, but needs shined up/serviced. Plan to get it running and decide whether to keep it awhile, or sell it. It’s too nice to restore. A true survivor, all original and not beat up. Never apart. Never dreamed it could be worth so much.
The decals on the one in the listing are for a 69 or 70 I believe.
Chuck, the vertical stripe is on the automatic only. The 4 speed (hand clutch) H models all had the horizontal stripe. Good way to tell them apart from a distance.
Ah ha.
That explains it.
Had one of these in the 80s used as a pit bike, at road courses in the Midwest and East. Great for getting to different parts of the course to see how other drivers were hitting apexes, and brake areas. Now riding one would unfortunately look like a circus act.
I bought one of these a few years back for 300, did a minor restoration on it and sold it for a 1000.00. PPP guess I have it away haha.
Four or five of these have sold on BAT [Bring-A-Trailer] in the last few months for some big bucks. Making this one look reasonable. A couple of weeks ago a go-kart sold on there for something like $26500. Guess I was in the wrong business all my life. LOL
My soon to be wife says Let’s go terrorize the neighborhood.
What’s the blue one pictured ? I had a neighbor that bought a Honda mini that I’m sure was a70cc but looked like a regular dirt bike. Maybe one like this not sure. Or maybe you might know what it was ?
Excuse me I just looked up the go kart and it was only $22500.
Here is one under $3k, make offer? https://www.facebook.com/groups/807726089245134/posts/6458694927481527
My first bike was a Honda QA-50 got it when I was 8 years old ride it until I was 11 then graduated to a CT-70 just like this one ride it a couple years then got a XR-75. Then got an Elsinore 125 that I raced until I got a 250 Elsinore that I raced. I wish I had kept them all could have paid a big chunk on my new 2022 Corvette!!
Brett was the XR 75 the one that looked like a mini dirt bike ?
At Angliagt, It is a fair question. It is the same question a lot of us have asked many times and many times got trolled for making a statement that disagrees with, “there will always be desirable entry level cars for those willing to adjust their sights.”
Now I actually have my dream car and have had it since I was 16 luckily, but let’s analyze this theory and just say your dream car is a 1970 Hemi Barracuda and you have $30k to spend now that your kids are through college and married off. The answer to that offer is a BIG NO, but if you can adjust your sights a little bit lower, let’s say to a 1969 Camaro SS with a 327 and a little rust bubbling up here and there, you can get into the game. Now that is also a nice car but if you’re a Plymouth guy from the 70s with a lot of old Mopar posters of Don Garlits and Sox and Martin on your garage wall, a lot of Mopar tee shirts and a lot of 70s Plymouth guy friends, a 69 Camaro is not really going to fill that spot. You could possibly get a VIN tag for the Hemi Barracuda for $30k today but you can’t really drive a VIN tag to the drag strip or car show.
As I see it, the answer to your question is, very few who are willing to pay this amount would actually ride it, less would let their kid ride it and even less would even consider putting it on a trail and risk getting it dirty or scratching it. Some guys love the old cars, trucks, bikes, etc. and some love the potential profit they can get from flipping them. They paid for them fair and square and no one should tell them what to do with their investment but we should ALL be free to ask questions without being trolled. ROCK ON!!
I had a blue one. 3spd automatic. I bought it new from Northeast Sport Motors in Kansas City (the “Please be kind to Frank Ancona” folks). It visited about 30 states in a Winnebago. It was a horrible little bike, unstable at anything over 30. But I really loved that little bike. My Dad took it to his place in Colorado and rode it all over every back road from Woodland Park to Telluride. It couldn’t get out of its own way. He loved it, too. It finally died with about 45k on its clock. I would never ever thought it would be worth $11 large.
It sold to some __________ (fill in the blank) for $4475. That’s insane considering how un-user friendly they and their little brother Z50’s were. Like anything else it’s an acquired taste that takes some time and a few wipe outs to get used to. The configuration is just…..wrong. My buddy back in the early 70’s wiped out hundreds of times but he over-pushed his/our luck. We’d both be on it on the gravel road doing 35-40, into the ditch and hit the driveway approach and FLY completely over and into the other ditch and wipe out every time. We did it dozens of times. His handlebars were bent so much they were crisscrossing and his hands were just inches from each other. The engine, made by Kymco of Taiwan (so was the Z50 engine) was bulletproof. I don’t think he ever changed the oil. He stopped riding when his folks bought his first car, ugh, a ’74 Mustang II. That 4 cylinder engine was NOT bulletproof and neither was the rear end…….3 engines and 2 rear ends later, off to the US Navy for 20 years. I inherited the bike, it came with the farm and who knows where the crappy ‘stang ended up.
Always found mine very user friendly, but didn’t ride it as stupidly as you described.
Yeah Chuck, my now ex-buddy was absolutely crazy and very destructive. I think that happens most when a kid hasn’t earned his expensive toys. He ruined his Mustang and his folks’ ’69 4 door Impala w/sedate 396. I was always with him when those things were on their last legs. My very first motorcycle my dad bought used in 1971-ish, it was a ’65 Suzuki K10. I took exceptionally good care of it because I earned it and it wasn’t cheap at $150. No jumping, no anything abusive and I NEVER let anyone else ride it. I wiped out only once and by accident. My beagle was running alongside on the gravel road at about 20 mph. Something caught his eye, I think it was the neighbor’s horses in the far side ditch. He cut right in front of me and I clipped him. Down instantly, slid just barely into the ditch. My forearm scraped and full of bloody pebbles and when I stood up, zapped by the electric fence wire that kept the horses in! Thank God my dog wasn’t hurt.
All the dirt bikes I had as a kid were always a little too big for me because they were whatever my dad took in on a trade at the junkyard that I could get running. My mom used to babysit her best friends kids and she would babysit us as well so we all grew up together. Her son was a year younger than me and had a CT 70 3 speed auto. I always wanted to ride it to see what it was like to ride something I could touch the ground on but he never let me. Not sure why because he used it for a hammer (like your buddy) and I took care of my stuff. I got to ride another one a few years later and honestly did not like it because the tires were so small and the riding position with the handle bar configuration (kinda like ape hangers) was so awkward that it was easy to get crossed up in a rut. I was used to bikes with hand clutches and at least 21 inch front tires. My first bike was a 1971 Honda CB 100 street bike. I was seven years old. My next bike was a Yamaha PE 175 two-stroke dual purpose. I was nine. My next bike was a Honda XL 250. I was 10. My next bike was a Honda CR 250 Elsinore. I was 13 and still only 5’5” tall and about 90 pounds so all these were a workout to get going on but once I was up it was awesome until I had to stop or if I wiped out. Had to put a concrete block next to them to get on and once started I would push it up straight and take off lol. I eventually got good at pulling back up beside the block when I wanted to stop and dismount. Wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything now.
You sound like me. I earned my Trail 70 mowing lawns. Took good care of it, but still had a lot of fun with it. That’s what it’s still in great shape at 50 years old.
I used to work with a guy who was like your friend. He bragged about all the broken bones he got from crashing his dirt bike. Now he needs new knees and has lots of aches and pains.
Correction. I had a CT 175 Yamaha dual purpose. Not a PE. My buddy had one of those and it was kind of an enduro bike.
Auction update: this one sold for $4,475.